Convoluted
by Chaos Silk
Summary: A Prince kidnapped and forced to marry, a queen bent on world domination, and a thief just trying not to screw things up, along with the rest of the ragtag bunch. How the world might have been. AU, Kuja/Zidane. Under Revision.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own Skyvra and the plot, nothing else.

An: This is a repost and revision of Diamond Heart... I just didn't like the way the story was shaping out and it was taking forever so I scrapped it and started over, I'm really prone to doing that.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

----

Queen Garnet looked down at the stage, a cold look on her face as she watched the players perform perhaps one of the saddest tales ever written. She tapped her fingers against the arm of her chair, glancing to the left where her cousin, the Prince of Lindblum, Zidane sat. The elegantly dressed male looked bored, his usually expressive face blank as he played with his white gloves.

She watched him fiddle with his clothes, occasionally glancing at the exit, cradling her chin in her hand as she leaned against the arm of her throne, a predatory smirk. He met her eyes and froze as a bird does when it meets the eyes of a snake, a shaky smile appearing on his face.

"Is something wrong cousin?" He asked nervously, tugging at his cravet. She tilted her head to the side, regarding him with cold dark eyes.

"You seem...restless cousin, are you feeling well?" She asked, not really caring for the answer only asking because it made him nervous. He smiled again, this one no more sincere than the last.

"I fear I might be coming down with something, I believe I shall retire before it gets worse." He said, getting up from his seat and bowing. She watched him depart, snapping her fingers to summon the soldiers that stood on either side of the exit. He paused, eyeing them suspiciously as they passed.

"Captain Steiner, please make sure no misfortune befalls my cousin on the way to his rooms. I believe he has been distressed by my mother's untimely demise and might do something stupid." She said, coolly addressing the man clad in heavy armor. He nodded, moving away as swiftly as he could to follow the young prince, his armor clanking with every step.

"Do you want me to make sure he doesn't mess up your majesty?" General Beatrix questioned, watching the knight leave, disdain clearly written on her face. Queen Garnet smiled, the action lighting up her pretty features, making her look like the pretty young maiden she was instead of the cold-hearted woman she had become.

"He may not be bright, but Captain Steiner would follow the boy to the ends of the earth just because I asked him to." The queen said, dismissing the issue with a delicate wave of her hand, returning her attention to the play that once had her mother in tears.

----

"Poor Aunt Brahne." Zidane muttered under his breath as he strode towards his rooms, his hands in his pockets. "Having that one for a daughter. Dad always told her she'd be the death of her. And she was, though not in the way he meant."

He paused in the center of the hallway, loose blonde hair flowing over his shoulders as he turned his face upward. "It's ironic really, I'm the one who's adopted and she's the one who kills her parents and for what? World domination?" He started to laugh hysterically, shoulders shaking as he slumped against the wall.

"And now she's keeping me here, holding me hostage..." He laughed harder, tears running down his face. "Shiva protect me, for I fear I won't live much longer."

"Your highness!!" Zidane looked up, wiping away the tears and straightening his clothes, making himself presentable as the knight approached.

He smiled warmly. "Is there something the matter?" He asked, acting as if nothing was wrong with the world, as though his cousin was not completely insane and trying to take over the world. The knight, Steiner if he remembered correctly looked confused.

"Ahh, nothing, nothing. Her majesty just asked that I make sure nothing happens to you while you return to your rooms." The captain said, saluting the Prince. Zidane raised an eyebrow.

"And if I didn't return to my rooms?" He asked coolly. His cousin unnerved him, her insanity messing with his senses and making him weak. Away from her he could safely use his powers and escape.

Steiner smiled charmingly. "Well then I'd follow you because her majesty only said to make sure nothing unfortunate happened, she said nothing about making sure you go where you are supposed to. " The prince chuckled.

"I believe I just might like you." He confessed, making his way towards the stairs where two members of Tantalus waited. The knight followed, his steps echoing through the halls.

"Good evening gentlemen, I trust everything is in order." The Prince greeted, bowing to the thieves. They were an odd pair, one tall and pale, clad in purple, his silver hair making him look unworldly while the other was short and redheaded, scars decorating every bit of visible skin.

"Of course your highness, this way." The silver haired one said, flicking his hair back over his shoulder as he stalked off, not even sparing the knight a glance. The redheaded one shrugged and started out after his partner, the Prince and the Knight following.

----

"So here's the plan." Skyvra explained to her young charge as they stood in the shadows of the castle. He leaned forward, adjusting his gloves nervously. "We sneak in, steal Zidane before anyone notices and make our dashing escape into the theater-ship."

"But what if someone else tries to steal the prince?" The young black mage, named Vivi by his grandfather, asked, staring up at his teacher with wide eyes. Skyvra snorted.

"Who else would want to steal him?" She demanded, raising a silvery-blue eyebrow at the child. Vivi shrugged and blinked as two of the theater troupe walked by followed by someone who closely resembled the Prince and a man clad in heavy, rusty-looking armor.

"Uhh, Teacher, isn't that the Prince?" He asked, pointing at the elegantly dressed blonde who upon hearing his voice paused and looked at them, raising an eyebrow.

"Skyvra?" He asked, looking at the redmage who grinned wildly and bounced up to her fellow mage.

"The one and only... See Vivi what did I tell you, piece of cake." She said, hugging Zidane who coughed and tried to politely shove her away. Vivi adjusted his hat.

"But we didn't steal the prince, they did." He said, pointing at the redhead and the purple-clad man. Skyvra shrugged, throwing an arm over Zidane's shoulders.

"Details, shemtails. So where're we going?" She asked, looking pointedly at the silver haired male. Zidane resisted the impulse to sigh in exasperation. It just seemed to get more and more convoluted by the minute.

TBC

Thanks to all who read the previous version.

BloodyChaos: "Writing this, no matter what form it's in always gives me a headache."  
Zach: "Then stop writing it."

BloodyChaos: "I like writing it. It's just so complicated and I have to actually think that it gives me a headache... anyways kind readers please leave a review and tell me if you think this version is as good as or better than the last... and keep in mind I wrote this at 1 in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around).

An Second chapter, I decided to change it from General to Romance because well... you know. Oh and I have a new website with a wicked awesome layout (which I made all by myself)... go check it out...

http// www . alternate chaos . raydi . com (remove the spaces)

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

----

"No really, where are we going?" Skyvra asked again as she followed the thieves, the prince, the clanking knight (who she had placed under silence to reduce the noise), and her apprentice who kept glancing at her and adjusting his gloves nervously. The Prince sighed.

"Where do you think we're going Skyvra?" He asked, exasperated by Skyvra's constant barrage of questions. First she had asked the thieves who they were (Blank and Kuja from Tantalus), then she had asked Steiner why his armor was so rusty (this prompted yelling and ended with a thunder spell followed by silence) and finally she had never let go of asking where they were going.

Skyvra thought for a moment, trying to decide where she thought. She titled her head, still walking, her blue hair shadowing her eyes. "Well..." She said, tapping her finger against her chin. "I think we're getting out of here." She indicated the stone walls of the castle. "But it's not like we can just walk out. I can only zap so many people." She pointed back to where one of the guards was slumped against the wall unconscious.

Prince Zidane rolled his eyes skyward, asking Shiva for the patience to deal with his teacher in all her random glory. Thankfully before Zidane could come up with some witty retort Kuja answered.

"We're returning to our airship...I assume you saw it on your way in." Kuja answered, his voice harsh as he regarded the red mage, his silver hair glowing in the light of the blue moon. She blinked and scratched her head, trying to recall.

"Ohhh, you mean you're from that Tantalus." Skyvra said, noting that they were only a few turns away from reaching the dock. Kuja paused, staring at her with his dark blue eyes, which, she realized as she got a better look, were almost the same shade as Zidane's.

"What other Tantalus is there?" He demanded, not noticing that her gaze had drifted downward, to the fuzzy silver tail that was attached to his rear. She blinked again, an odd smile appearing on her face.

"The one in the underworld in ancient myths."(1) She said, tapping her chin as they stepped into the airship. She glanced at the silver haired male. "Say how would you like to be my apprentice?" Zidane missed a step and tripped over his tail, luckily Kuja caught him before he could fall.

"Your apprentice?" He repeated as the Prince hastily removed himself from his arms, a blush on his face as he brushed himself off. Kuja glanced at Blank's retreating back, the redhead being the one to inform the rest that the prince was safely onboard while the silver had the task of bringing the group to the meeting room.

"But Teacher I thought I was your apprentice." Vivi said in a very small voice, sniffing as though about to burst into tears at any second. Skyvra paused, looking back at her small charge, a bright smile appearing on her pale face.

"Of course you are, you're my favorite, most-special apprentice of all who doesn't mind sharing me for a bit with someone. Besides if I have two apprentices that means I'll only drag you on random adventures 50 of the time." She said, patting his head kindly. Prince Zidane raised an eyebrow at her and looked at the young black mage.

"That isn't necessarily true. She drags whoever's closest with her and she knows it. And she almost always gets herself lost if she's trying to find a bathroom..." Zidane trailed off, glancing curiously at Skyvra who seemed to be only seconds away from hitting him with something. "By the way, how did you end up in the Business District that one time? The guards swore up and down they didn't see you leave the castle."

She sniffed, sticking her nose in the air and almost falling down the flight of steps. "I didn't have to go to the bathroom. I was just...looking for pickles, that's right... I love pickles especially Lindblum ones. And you know what they say about people who like pickles..." She huffed, crossing her arms and pouting.

"That they tend to get lost in the strangest places?" Zidane said calmly, relighting the candelabra in the center of the room. Skyvra glared at him, Vivi and Kuja snickered.

"No, that they're good people." Skyvra huffed again, muttering death threats as she glanced around the room, looking for something to distract them. Her eyes landed on Steiner, their silvery depths lighting up.

She stalked up to the knight, peering curiously at him. "You're awfully quiet..." She said suspiciously, eyeing him as though she suspected him to bite her at any moment. His mouth opened as he soundlessly began to berate her, his face going red from sheer effort.

"For the love of Ifrit..." Zidane sighed, shaking his head as Kuja motioned for them to go in the room nearby. Skyvra blinked and looked at him, ignoring the knight who was making every effort to yell at her. "Just get in here..." He demanded, following the silver haired one and the little mage who was still unsure of what to make of this.

----

"I fold." Skyvra announced, throwing her cards on the spool shaped table. Kuja leaned over to look at her cards, then looked back at her.

"We're playing Go fish." He stated calmly, picking the cards back up and handing them back to her. She looked at her cards in confusion.

"I could've swore we were playing crazy eights." She said, throwing her cards at the (still) silenced Steiner. The Prince sighed once again, massaging his forehead to stave off a headache.

"The only crazy one here is you." Vivi piped up from behind Zidane, he had taken a liking to the older genome, possibly because they were both were well accustomed to Skyvra. One really had to wonder if all red mages were like this, because whenever they saw Kilijra (Skyvra's brother), he was always wandering around like Skyvra did before she met Zidane and found a purpose in life. That purpose being to drive him and all others she taught insane.

Skyvra was tossed off her chair as the ship suddenly jerked into life, the others unwillingly following her voyage to the floor. Once again Zidane was spared because he just so happened to fall onto Kuja which landed them both in a rather compromising situation. Zidane blushed again and hastily got up, praying that Skyvra hadn't seen.

There were several loud explosions coming from outside the ship and the floor shook. The party exchanged worried looks as the outside of the ship caught fire and their altitude began to drop.

"Does anyone else want a float spell just in case?" Skyvra asked, floating in the air near the ceiling. Zidane shrugged, and thinking it actually might work, started the incantation, concentrating on hitting everyone and not just himself. The spell took effect just as the airship crashed into the forest and burst into flames.

TBC

1 It's actually the name of a king from a Grecian myth and if I recall correctly, it's a very interesting story. Check it out if you like.

Thanks to all who read and review, I appreciate it.

BloodyChaos: "I think I'm beginning to see a trend in this fic..."

Zach: "Where?"

BloodyChaos: "It's one o'clock, almost two in the morning and I just finished up with this."

Zach: "You really need to work on your sleeping habits."

BloodyChaos: "Maybe, anyways if you liked kindly leave a review, I always look forward to your comments."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around).

AN: Continuing the tradition started by the last two chapters, this is once again written and posted at an ungodly hour... hopefully FF.N's alerts are working.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

----

"Is everyone ok?" The Prince asked, rubbing his head from where it had connected against the wall. Turned out the float spells had been a rather bad idea, seeing as how the airship was moving and they were staying still. Luckily Zidane had landed on Kuja who had landed on Skyvra who was unfortunate enough to land on Steiner. Steiner had collided with the wall. Vivi had escaped it all by hiding under the table.

"I don't know about you fifty-seventy-thirteen but I think I, me and myself need a Curaga and something caffeinated, preferably coffee with lots of sugar." Skyvra said from underneath the two genomes, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Zidane and Kuja shared a look and then blushed, only now noticing that they were once again tangled in a rather compromising manner.

They jumped apart, each dusting themselves off and pretending that they were completely unaffected by their close contact. Thankfully Skyvra was too out of it to care, Vivi was to young to notice and Steiner was unconscious.

"I think Teacher's finally lost it..." Vivi piped up, coming out from underneath the table to watch Skyvra stumble about the room as if she were drunk, occasionally talking to inanimate objects as though they were people. Prince Zidane watched her for a second.

"Nah, she just hit her head. She'll be back to driving us all insane in an hour or two, maybe less if I can remember the incantation for Curaga." Zidane said cheerfully, flicking his hand at the nearby flames, which instantly went out.

"I think I like her more when she's not coherent..." Kuja confessed, crossing his arms as Zidane began the incantation for what he hoped was Curaga and not something that would blow them all to kingdom come.

Green sparkly lights began to fill the room; followed by green butterflies circling around the party. Zidane sweatdropped as he felt any injuries he had sustained in the escape and fall heal themselves. He shrugged as Skyvra blinked and shook her head. Kuja and Vivi sent questioning looks in his direction.

"Faerie Light..." He said by way of explanation. "Just as good as Curaga, maybe even better..." he didn't mention of course that this spell was learned from two very strange travelers who had taken it upon themselves to visit Lindblum castle. In fact he believed the pair could out-weird Skyvra and Kilijra, which granted was very hard to do, but these two could do it. He had, sadly, forgotten their names but he remembered it was an F and an A something...

Kuja looked as though he wanted to ask more, maybe hear how Zidane had learned this spell. He had never heard of it before and from the looks of it neither had Vivi, which meant it wasn't something he learned from Skyvra. Zidane shrugged again, it wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about. His life had been threatened so many times during that time period it wasn't even funny.

"Where in the hell are we?" Skyvra demanded, pushing the window open and nearly falling out of it. She looked down and blinked when she realized she could see the ground... and trees, lots and lots of trees. She looked over her shoulder at Zidane and answered her own question. "It appears we are in the Evil Forest."

"Evil Forest?" Kuja repeated slowly, mind rushing to remember what he had read on it. He was something of a bookworm, reading everything he could get his hands on.

"Don't let it bother you..." Skyvra said, hopping down from Steiner (who she had climbed on to look out the window). "It's not like the forest is going to eat you or something, it's just evil because no one has ever come out of it alive..."

The three who are awake and not embedded in the wall exchange frightened glances. That usually meant bad news. Skyvra tilted her head to the side as something suddenly occurred to her. She looked at them.

"How would anyone know if no one's ever come out alive if no one has ever come out alive to tell them that they've never came out alive?" Skyvra asked, scratching her head. It really was a good question.

----

"Your Majesty, it appears that Prince Zidane has escaped..." Carol, Beatrix's second-in-command reported, bowing before Queen Garnet. The glass held in the queen's hand shattered and Garnet glared down at the soldier with glowing eyes.

"What did you say?" She demanded, her pretty face, which usually appeared so innocent contorted into a vicious snarl. Carol winced, not meeting the queen's eyes.

"I said that Prince Zidane has escaped." Carol repeated slowly, flinching as the queen threw the object closest to her (an apple) at her head.

"I heard what you said you fool, How did this happen? What in the hell was that idiot Steiner doing?" The queen demanded, getting up from her throne and pacing before it like a cat that has been cooped up for too long. With a swirl of her gown she turned back to the soldier.

"Find that moron of a captain and bring him to me..." She snapped, eyes flashing dangerously as she fingered the red gem at her throat. Carol flinched under her gaze, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Lord Steiner has disappeared as well." She said, wincing away from the outburst that was sure to come.

"WHAT?!" The queen screeched, dragging the girl up by the collar and shaking her. "How could you let this happen?" She screamed in the girl's face, shaking her with enough force to snap her head back and forth. Carol whimpered.

"With all due respect your majesty, I did suggest that perhaps Steiner was not enough." Beatrix said calmly, having just entered the room. Garnet's head whipped around to glare at her, had she been a dragon, smoke would've been pouring from her mouth.

"You dare talk back to me?" She hissed, dropping the scared girl to the floor. Carol immediately crawled away, nearly weeping with relief. Garnet advanced on Beatrix. "I am your queen, you have to do what I say or else I will have you..."

"Even the queen is not above the law." Beatrix interrupted, fixing her queen with a cool look. Had she been the one assigned to the Prince she would've done the same thing, but instead she had to play her role and relay any information she could to Lindblum and Burmecia.

"I am the law!" Garnet shouted, waving a perfectly manicured fist under Beatrix's nose. The General was not impressed, she was well aware of the fact that the Queen had no battle training and the only advantage she had were some Eidolons that did their job half-assed because they refused to cooperate with a person so corrupt. The only reason they came at all was because it was impossible to resist a summoner's call.

"We shall see..." Beatrix muttered, glancing about to make sure Carol was clear before bowing out of the room.

----

"Engine trouble?" Zidane said skeptically, looking at the Tantalus head in disbelief. He shook his head, bangs shadowing his face. "You're telling me that this is all due to some malfunction and not because Garnet knew I was trying to escape."

"Wow what kind of freaky coincidence is that? At least you're not wearing a dress..." Skyvra said in an attempt to reassure him that everything was right in the world. It only made him stare at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Why would I be wearing a dress?" He asked, confused by this. She gave him a look he recognized as the one she gave him before she said something that would scar him for life.

"Never mind I don't even want to know." He said before she could even open her mouth to quote her mind scarring wisdom. He turned his attention back to the pinkhaired man. "So how do we get out of here?"

"Well I was thinking that you, Kuja, Blank and those three that came with you, most especially that loud-mouthed red mage here..."

"Hey, I resent that"

"...should go on ahead before the Queen sends out a search party, put some distance between you and us." Baku continued, as though Skyvra had not spoken. "I gave Blank a map, so leave when you're ready."

Zidane bowed. "Thank you for your kindness." Baku smiled at him, eyes twinkling.

"Hey, it's the least I could do for our future king..."

----

TBC

----

Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, you're all great .

BloodyChaos: "I enjoyed the chapter, oh and points to whoever gets who the two wanderers were ."  
Zach: "Why did you add that in?"

BloodyChaos: "Couldn't resist, thought it was to good to pass up Anyways if you liked, please review. It encourages me to write faster."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around).

AN: Been a while no? I've been on Gaia...

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

----

"Are we there yet?" Skyvra asked from the back of the procession, snickering evilly as Zidane stopped to glare at her, eyebrow twitching in a way that was highly undignified. Suddenly she looked up, a rare serious expression appearing on her face. Her gaze landed on Vivi who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Out of the way..." Skyvra yelled, lunging at him and pushing him out of the way as a plant-monster thing came crashing out of the canopy, the vines on it's head scrabbling at the soil where Vivi would've been standing. Skyvra fired a Fira spell at it, watching as it let out a sound that eerily resembled a human scream and died, dissolving into a pile of ashes.

The party stopped, Steiner and Blank staring at the mage with wide eyes while Zidane and Kuja looked relatively unimpressed. Zidane looked somewhat amused by this turn of events.

"You're finally useful for once." He remarked before stalking on through the underbrush, grateful that for some odd reason, there was already a clear path through the thick growth. Kuja followed several steps behind him, eyes glued to a spot that was definitely going to get him into trouble if anyone noticed.

"We'll see just how useful I am when a plant monster tries to eat you." Skyvra huffed, too indignant to notice the blackmail in front of her. Blank took one last look at the pile of ashes and shrugged, moving to follow the other two.

"I think you're useful Teacher." Vivi said, adjusting his hat nervously as he looked at the fuming redmage. She blinked and smiled warmly at him, patting his hat.

"Thanks dear." She said, noting that Zidane and Kuja were a good meter ahead. She glanced at the Knight who was still gaping at the ashes. "Come on Rusty... We're being left behind." She said, grabbing Vivi's hand and dragging him after the other three.

"Uhhh... Ms. Skyvra." Steiner said, a question in his voice as he clanked after the mages. She paused midstep, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Yes..." She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she glanced towards Zidane worriedly. She may have joked about it, but there was just something about this place that she didn't trust.

He muttered something almost under his breath. She leaned backwards to catch it, frowning slightly. She blinked.

"A magic sword..." She said to clarify. He nodded, a flush covering his cheeks. "We'll see what I can do." She said cheerily, winking at him before turning around just in time to catch sight of Zidane being captured by a plant-monster.

With a loud war cry she launched herself at the plant, whip cracking through the air and hitting dirt as it launched itself in the air and swung off through the canopy and disappeared.

Her eyebrow twitched. "Oh yes, I'm useful alright." She muttered bitterly, rubbing the bridge of her nose and glaring at Kuja and Blank who were still staring at where Zidane had been standing. "About as useful as you." She yelled, throwing her whip at Kuja, smacking him in the face.

----

Zidane watched the foliage go by, still in the state of shocked awareness where you knew exactly what was going on, you just weren't sure how it happened or how you got there. He regretted making that comment to Skyvra, if only because if he hadn't have said that he wouldn't have been in the clutches of an evil plant monster hurtling through the forest at fifty miles an hour.

But that was neither here nor there and Skyvra was probably miles away, throwing a huge hissy fit because no one had so much as twitched in his direction. He didn't know the other four well enough to predict their actions, though he would _love _to get to know Kuja better, but he knew Skyvra only had two settings, crazy and pissed.

Right now, he was surprised the forest was still standing.

----

"You..." Skyvra hissed, cold voice sending chills down Blank's spine. He was thankful it wasn't directed at him. Her eyes flashed, finger pointing accusingly at the monster which had attempted to take him just mere seconds after Skyvra's first outburst. "Take me to your leader."

Blank mentally reminded himself to never underestimate a red mage ever again. Not even the one who sometimes stumbled drunkenly about the theater district, singing random songs before passing out on the sidewalk. Kuja was scary when mad, and Skyvra was even scarier.

The monster squeaked, shivering at the bloodlust pouring from the pair of red mages. Kuja advanced on it, rapier in hand, his blue eyes glittering evilly.

"If you don't..." The threat was left hanging in the air. Vivi and Steiner shivered, sharing a frightened look.

It squeaked again and started off towards it's leader, praying to whatever god or higher being plants believe in that it would make it out alive as it moved slow enough for the soft ones with things that hurt badly to follow.

-----

Of all the things Zidane expected to find in a supposedly haunted forest, a giant _pink _man-eating flower was not one of them. There was just no other way to describe it other than it was a giant pink rose, and it was trying to eat him.

Funny thing about roses and plants in general, if you hit them with Firaga spell pumped up with rage they die... In a fiery screaming glory that just makes you feel so good about yourself.

At least until the forest starts to turn to stone.

-----

"I don't think we have to worry about Zidane anymore..." Vivi said anxiously as the parasite cage twitched, then fell over and died. He tugged at the hem of Skyvra's cloak, pointing towards the blonde blur running at them.

Skyvra turned to look and blinked once, allowing what her eyes were seeing to sink in. "Well shit..." She said as Zidane hurtled past them, swearing violently. "RUN FOR YOUR PANTS!!!..." She screeched, taking off five second later though it really didn't need to be said.

A haste spell or fifteen later found them all sitting outside the forest, safe, sound and a little disturbed by what came out of Skyvra's mouth while she was still under the effects of haste.

-----

TBC

-----

Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I apologize for the wait.

BloodyChaos: "It took what? Three-four chapters for us to get out of the forest last time? Well this time it only took one, and I think it was done rather well... except that Steiner didn't get thrown into anything this time."

Zach: "That's a good thing though."

BloodyChaos: "Anyways, thanks for reading and if you liked it, please review."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around).

AN: I blame Skyvra.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

----

"Now... Where do we go from here?" The Prince asked as they made camp near the edge of the forest. He looked around warily, eyeing the cliffs on which Alexandria sat disdainfully. Skyvra was still under the effects of haste and for the sake of the sanity of the rest of the party she had been Silenced.

"If I remember correctly, I think my grandfather told me about a cave near here that leads above the mist." Vivi piped up, looking nervously at Skyvra who seemed to be having a conversation with the air in front of her. Her mouth kept moving, but no sound came out, sometimes she would pause and tilt her head to the side as if listening to something only she could hear and then nod and start talking again. She was a strange one alright.

Zidane raised an eyebrow, flicking his ponytail over his shoulder as he gracefully sat on the ground in front of the campfire Steiner and Blank built. He flushed when his hand accidentally landed on Kuja's and jumped at the surprisingly loud snicker that came from Skyvra. He raised an eyebrow at her, hand darting away from the mage-thief as if it had never been there and glanced to where Blank had spread the map out in front of them.

"We'll see if we can't find that cave in the morning then... I don't suppose your grandfather knew exactly where it was?" Zidane asked, flopping onto his back and staring at the stars. The little black mage shook his head, scuffing his foot against the ground.

"Nope, he told me all about it though. He'd never seen it, but he read about it. He read a lot, Grandpa did." Vivi said, looking down at the ground. Skyvra patted him on the head, kneeling down to give him a hug as he sniffled once.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed." She announced, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. She patted him on the back and looked around in search of the crazy moogle to put up the tent. Spotting the pom-pom over the next rise, she stalked off, muttering something under her breath about kupo nuts. Zidane watched her go, wondering exactly when the combined haste and silence spells wore off, but knowing better than to ask.

"Your Highness?" Kuja asked tentatively, resting back on his elbows as he glanced back over his shoulder at the prince. Zidane raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He asked, watching as Steiner slumped forward slightly, dead asleep though he was still fully clad in armor and sitting up. That amused him for some reason. Kuja extended a bowl of... something towards him.

"Would you like something to eat?" Zidane eyed the liquid warily, he could've swore he saw an oglop swimming in it. He shook his head quickly, missing Kuja shooting an amused glance at the indignant Blank, and turned his gaze back towards the stars, watching the blue moon as it trekked across the sky.

Next thing he knew, he was asleep.

----

"Good Morning Sleepy head." Zidane opened his eyes and let out a screech as the first thing he saw was a pair of floating red eyes.

"You are a walking compliment." Skyvra said sarcastically, a tiny bit annoyed at her student for screaming. Zidane glared at her, rubbing his eyes.

"Let's see how you react when the first thing you see if a pair of glowing red eyes." He muttered as he rose to his feet, dusting himself off. He stretched, yawning as he glanced about the campsite. Kuja and Blank were collapsed beside him and, he noted with jealousy, wrapped around each other tightly. He felt a chill in the pit of his stomach, wondering why this man he had barely known for a day affected him so.

Skyvra watched him with a knowing stare and smiled to herself, kicking the thieves awake. "Rise and Shine." She said cheerfully as they jerked apart, glaring sleepily at her and each other. She then bounced over to where Steiner sat/slept and banged on his armor, laughing as he jumped and fell over.

"Come on, Come on, We've got to get moving. The nighttime monsters just fell asleep and the daytime creatures aren't awake yet, if we move now we won't get attacked." Skyvra said, practically dancing. The group watched her bounce about camp with angry eyes. Not a single one of them was a morning person.

"Kill me now." Zidane groaned, flopping back onto the ground as he realized that until Skyvra left, every morning would be like this.

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TBC

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Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I apologize for the wait.

Reviews are love 3.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around).

AN: Another Mass-update... weeks after what I promised. Damn you real-life, damn you.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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"You know..." Zidane muttered under his breath, watching Skyvra bounce ahead of them cheerfully, blood-red robes and light blue hair billowing in the wind. "There are times when I wish she would forget where she is and wander off." Vivi shook his head as he trudged along beside him.

"Nowadays, Teacher only gets lost when she tries to find a bathroom..."

"I heard that!" Skyvra snapped, turning around and shaking her fist at her apprentices, both current and former, still walking as she did so. Zidane tried really hard not to laugh when she tripped over a rock and fell backwards, sprawling all over the ground in a sea of red and blue. His other companions however, had no such qualms. Vivi included.

The prince shook his head as the red mage climbed to her feet, muttering under her breath about a conspiracy involving rocks and other supposedly inanimate objects tripping up perfectly innocent people. Spending many long years in her company had made him immune to her antics and insanity, though sometimes she gave even him a headache.

"Exactly how far is this cave again?" Kuja asked from the back of the procession. He and Blank had the map out and were trying to figure out where they were. It wasn't like the map magically had some blinking dot that indicated where they were or something like that. Zidane shrugged, somehow making the action seem princely.

"I assume that it's somewhere on the cliff face..." Zidane said, indicating the solid wall of rock many miles ahead of them. He stopped, blinking once before glancing at Vivi. "Did your grandfather happen to say which town it was near?" The little black mage shook his head, looking solemn. Skyvra suddenly appeared behind him, patting him on the shoulder.

"It's alright. At least we know there is a way leading above the mist... Even if it does take years for us to find it..." Skyvra said, nodding once. She looked far too happy with the thought of spending years wandering around the mist. The others stared at her, wondering how she could look so cheery when the Mist was creeping into her brain, slowly driving her insane. Then it occurred to them that she already was insane, so the Mist probably didn't have much effect.

"Y-y-years?" Steiner stammered out, recoiling back, away from the crazy mage. Skyvra blinked, tilting her head to the side.

"Ok, maybe that was an exaggeration." She chirped, looking far too pleased with herself. Zidane felt like strangling her. "Months then." She nodded again in confirmation. Kuja sighed, looking at each party member in turn. Aside from Skyvra, who was already insane, each was beginning to show signs of prolonged exposure to the mist. They didn't have months or even weeks to spare.

"That's still too long." Blank said, voicing the thought in everyone's mind. "We'll all be mad by then..." he paused, staring at Skyvra, a slight sneer appearing on his face. "Well except for you, but you're already a bit touched in the head." Skyvra's eyes flashed dangerously and she drew herself up, reminding Zidane of a snake preparing to strike.

"Is that the cave I see right there?" Zidane interrupted the mage before a single scathing word could escape her mouth, pointing to a small chasm in the cliff in front of them. The edges of the chasm were surrounded by ice, which glittered in the bright mid-day sun. Zidane couldn't believe they missed it before.

"Your Highness, you have saved us all from madness!" Steiner announced happily, trotting over to envelop the Prince in a metallic hug. Zidane coughed, desperately struggling for breath as the knight squeezed it from him.

"Hey, Sardine, mind letting his royal-ness go so we can get out of this place before the Mists eat your brain and turn you into a monster?" Skyvra snapped, still annoyed by Blank's previous comment. Steiner blinked, letting the Prince go. Vivi adjusted his hat nervously, looking at his teacher curiously.

"What is a sardine?" He asked curiously. Skyvra shrugged, stalking off towards the cave.

"Doesn't matter, that insult made perfect sense to me." She called back, ignoring the rest as they struggled to catch up.

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TBC

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Sardines come in a tin can; Steiner comes in a tin can. Get it?

Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I apologize for the wait.

Reviews are love 3.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around). I also don't own FF8, which is referred to in the tale of Shiva.

AN: And yet another mass update... Which had been severely delayed first by my father visiting, then by... Well let's just say I'm now engaged to a wonderful man and leave it at that. Blank and Skyvra do not want to get along. He thinks she's useless, She doesn't like that.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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"So cold, so very, very cold..." Blank shivered as they trudged through the snow. Frost hung from his nose and he and Steiner cut a path through the freezing winds. Hardly any of them were dressed to deal with the change in climate, Steiner and Skyvra perhaps being the two worst off. Steiner of course was clad from head to toe in heavy armor, which was covered in frost and must be freezing by now. The buttons on Skyvra's robe had been ripped off (how, he did not want to know, but it had been like that since he met her) leaving in gaping open in the front revealing the leotard-like red thing she wore beneath and her thigh-high boots.

He really didn't care if she froze to death, as long as she wasn't blinding him when she did so. Which she always seemed to be doing. It seemed that mages were either showing all they had to give or covered in so many layers you couldn't even tell what sex they were. Blank really wished Skyvra was one of the latter, or at least sewed some fricken buttons on her robes so she could cover herself up. Just looking at her was making him cold.

At least the Prince had good sense. At least for a noble. He was wearing a vest and pant ensemble similar enough to Blank and Kuja's, though the material was a good deal finer and therefore a lot thinner, but the long sleeved silk shirt underneath his vest made up for it. If Blank had seen the outfit on someone not a noble or about to go on stage, he would have to question that male's sexuality. Though, seeing the tension between Kuja and the Prince, he was already beginning to question it.

Little Vivi was perhaps the most prepared out of all of them. His robes were soft and thick, covering him from head to toe. Blank had to wonder how someone so down to earth could apprentice themselves to someone so far from the norm as Skyvra. Though from what little he had heard about Red Mages, Skyvra seemed to be pretty normal. He hoped to god he never met another Red Mage in his life if they were all like her.

"Is it just me or are we walking around in circles?" Skyvra demanded from the back of the group, arms tightly wrapped around herself as she stared at a familiar looking rock. She could've sworn she had tripped over it a while back.

"Shut up Skyvra." Blank scowled, not wanting to admit that maybe she was right. The Prince frowned as the snow started to pour down harder and the wind started to pick up.

"Maybe we should take shelter until the storm dies down." He said, nodding towards a small cave to their right. He started towards it, not waiting for them to agree with him. Blank scowled as Kuja shrugged then followed him. Skyvra made her clumsy way across the snow and ice, Vivi only able to keep clinging to her shoulders by grace of god.

"Nobles..." Blank muttered under his breath as he and Steiner followed suit, the knight secretly relieved that they were taking a break. His armor felt like ice and he was afraid he was getting frost-bite on certain parts of his body.

Minutes later, when they were all warm and dry, huddled about the fire Skyvra and Vivi were able to start and keep going, Blank actually thanked the Prince for making the decision. Though it was only in his head. He threw a stick into the fire, not even bothering to wonder where the stick had come from.

"There's something odd about this storm." Kuja remarked from his place beside Blank and the Prince. He had been oddly quiet since they had first stepped foot into the ice caves. Skyvra nodded, a frown on her face as she wrapped her robes tightly about her.

"The more I think about it, the more I think that maybe someone... or something is out there." The Prince looked out at the snow drifting down outside the cave. "The snow reminds me of something I read in one of Skyvra's books." Skyvra blinked and looked suspiciously at Zidane and Kuja, raising an eyebrow.

"I always knew you were lying when you said you never touched those books." Zidane blinked, staring at her. "And we're definitely not leaving you and Kuja alone in the cave with only a blanket. You can do that later, on your own time..." He coughed, face turning a bright red.

"Not those books." He denied, waving his hands out in front of him as if to stave off Skyvra's accusations. "I was referring to Shiva's lament." Skyvra blinked and pouted, realizing that Zidane wasn't being a pervert. What a pity.

"I always liked that one." Vivi piped up from his place beside Skyvra. He looked hopefully at Skyvra, wide eyes praying that she would get the hint and tell it for him. Unfortunately Skyvra was too busy sulking with disappointment, she had thought she had finally gotten through Zidane's thick skull. Sadly it seems he was still enamored with the idea of being a normal, straight noble. How pathetic.

"I don't believe I've ever heard it." Blank frowned, looking at Kuja who seemed lost in thought. Kuja was always reading something, spellbooks, plays, ancient histories, etc. Surely he would know.

"I have to admit that I'm curious as well." Steiner spoke, glancing nervously at Skyvra, whom had silenced him the last twenty-seven times he had attempted to speak. The Prince sighed, shaking his head as he gazed out in the snow.

"It's a sad tale. Shiva had blessed a young man with her strength and with it he defeated a sorceress who had been tyrannizing the land. His lover was on the opposite side of the battlefield, the very knight of the sorceress he was going to slay. The lover had begged for death, having been controlled by the sorceress since he met her. The man killed his lover and the sorceress and afterwards had gone insane. Another sorceress, a friend of his whom had fell in love with him, took him under her thrall as her knight, much the same way his lover had before him, and with their combined power, terrorized the nation of Balamb.

"In one of the man's rare moments of sanity, he killed both his sorceress and himself. It is said that in her great sorrow of losing the human she had treasured most, Shiva covered Balamb in ice, swearing that no living thing would ever dwell there again. It snowed incessantly for seventy years, until Shiva was sealed away in the world beyond." The Prince trailed off, staring out into the snow. "It is said that the snow was peaceful as long as one didn't step foot on the island, but when one did, the snow fell heavier and the wind picked up, freezing one to the bone..."

"_I am relieved that Squall's tale has not been forgotten. He suffered so much in life." _A cool, feminine voice said, bringing to mind a snowstorm not quite unlike the one raging outside. The air beside the Prince seemed to shimmer and suddenly a tall female was standing there. Her skin was so pale, it looked blue. She wore very little, showcasing the frost-like patterns that ran up and down her body. The Prince's eyes narrowed.

"Shiva." He met her gaze evenly, unafraid. If the Eidolon had wanted to kill him, she would've done so, instead of appearing before him. "Why are you here?"

"_The Summoner called me here. To kill you she says." _She spoke as though it was not unusual. _"She has not proven herself worthy. While we Eidolons may be forced to come to her, we still have a choice in who we follow. She is our summoner, not our master."_

She regarded him with her cool eyes, as though judging him. She smiled and nodded. _"You are not my Squall, but you will do. I choose to follow you, who remember Squall's sacrifice. You are still young, but that will change in time." _ And with that, she disappeared in a shimmer of ice.

Zidane blinked, feeling a cool presence take up residence in the back of his mind. The snow storm outside came to a stop, sun pouring in through the opening of the cave. Skyvra suddenly perked up.

"Zidane had become a summoner...Now he has to parade around half-naked." She cheered, as the others tried to make sense of what in the hell just happened.

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TBC

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Thanks to all for reading and reviewing.

So who liked the little FF8 reference? That's how I see it continuing. Sort of. And no worries, Shiva and the other Eidolons will actually play a big part in the story. And I hate writing Shiva, she's so sad.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around)

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around). I also don't own FF8, which is referred to in the tale of Shiva.

AN: My writing style seems to have changed between this chapter and the last, but no worries, it's all good.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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"Zidane had become a summoner...Now he has to parade around half-naked." Skyvra cheered, dancing out of the cave and into the snow outside, cheerfully spinning around and around like a ballerina. Prince Zidane sighed, there were times when he really wished Skyvra would fall off a cliff and die. However, knowing her, if she did fall off a cliff and die, she would find some way to come back and haunt him, and then he'd never be rid of her.

"Can we please get going before I am tempted to push someone off this cliff and blame it on her own clumsiness?" Blank demanded, scowling in Skyvra's general direction. The red mage was still dancing about in the snow, booted feet kicking up small flurries of snow as she swirled about. The Prince scowled; obviously wishing Skyvra would trip and fall soon. With every twist of her feet, she decorated him with even more snow and while the blizzard had died down, it was still pretty damn cold.

"Just wait...She'll fall on her own soon enough..." The Prince sighed, running a hand through his loosened hair as he watched Skyvra dance closer and closer to the edge. Vivi and Steiner, who had followed the trio outside, watched with a great amount of amusement. Kuja busied himself with studying the patterns Skyvra had made in the snow and most certainly not checking out Zidane who just happened to be standing in the middle of those patterns.

"Watch out Teacher, you're going to fall!!" Vivi cried out just as Skyvra neared the edge. She blinked and came to a halt, casually toeing the edge and amusing herself by kicking a good amount of snow off it, watching it swirl around and around as it made its way down.

"Damn it Vivi..." Blank groaned, shoulders slumping in defeat. "We were almost rid of her for good." Vivi stared at him.

"Teacher knows float and enough wind-based spells that if she did fall, she'd probably get to town before us." The little mage pointed out, reminding Blank that it was indeed nearly impossible to kill a red mage because of their versatility.

"Can I please ask why we're still standing here in the snow when we could be in town, all nice and warm." Kuja demanded, slightly amused by the runes Skyvra had drawn in the snow without any of the others becoming aware of them. Peace, Love, Harmony, and Chaos; it seemed like Skyvra really was a nice person underneath the insanity.

"Because Skyvra's dancing about like a maniac..." Zidane said, shooting a glare in Skyvra's direction without even glancing down at the marks she had made in the snow. The blue-haired mage just smiled cheerfully at him and started climbing higher on the ice.

The Prince blinked and sighed; his eyes following Skyvra's chosen path to what appeared to be the exit. He glanced at the path laid out before them, and then back to the ice-covered cliff face Skyvra had chosen to climb. Kuja followed his gaze.

"It seems that while following Skyvra would be safer, there's also a chance of one of us..." Pointed glance in Steiner's direction. "...Falling to our deaths or mortal injuring. Since we're in no rush, other than to escape Skyvra, why don't we take the other path?" The prince asked, looking back at his comrades.

"Whatever you say, your majesty." Blank snarked, rolling his eyes heavenward and asking for Bahamut to spare him from over-exposure of arrogant nobles. Zidane glared at him.

"It's 'your highness' and stop calling me that, until we get to Lindblum just treat me like a normal person."

"Whatever, can we please move?"

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Skyvra frowned as she waited for the others to catch up, her red eyes scanning the village that lay before her. Something was extremely off about this village, hardly anyone seemed to be working in the fields and she could sense a large amount of red mages dwelling within, with the exception of her brother, Kilijra who also seemed to be visiting the village, they all felt unfamiliar to her.

Now, she wasn't going to boast that she knew every red mage on the planet because she didn't, but even those she didn't know felt familiar to her because they all shared a common ancestor somewhere. The red mages shared a common past with the black mages. Except where the black mages were created from the Mist by the genomes to combat the summoners, the summoners had created the red mages to from their gems. Even today there was a slim chance that a black mage could randomly be born from the mist, Vivi's spawning was proof of that, but creating a red mage was much more complicated.

It wasn't common knowledge, but most red mages were fused with a gem, or multiple gems, as soon as they were born to cement their powers and to open up a connection with the eidolons from which they were born from. Skyvra herself carried a Garnet and an Aquamarine deep with her body, allowing her a deeper connection with Bahamut and Leviathan, from whom her ancestors had been created. She was blessed with a greater skill with non-elemental (centering on destruction) and water-spells, as well as greater endurance and fighting skills than most of her kin, and thanks to Leviathan, she could swim like a fish. A red mage's connection with the eidolons was different from a summoner's, to a summoner, the eidolons are servants who obey their every whim and occasional advice givers, to a red mage, the eidolons are as much a part of them as the air they breath, as much of a parent to them as those who bore them. The eidolons also granted a connection to all those who also carried the gem deep within their body, which is why Skyvra didn't need to be standing on the same continent as Kilijra to yell at him.

Many times had she heard Bahamut or Leviathan's voice speaking to her as though they were standing right next to her, and to a certain extent, she could hear Carbunkle and Ramuh, her parents' secondary fusions. chattering about one thing or another. Which gems you were fused with was decided by your parents and which tribe they came from. Her mother was from the eastern continent, where the majority of Red Mages lived in peace, she was descended from those who had been created from the Garnet and had married a man from Daguerro, whose ancestors had been created from Aquamarines. All Red Mages were connected in some way or another, either through the eidolons or by their blood.

There hadn't been a red mage created from just a gem in centuries, but those who were down there bore the mark of a single eidolon, not two as was usual for one born of two red mages or even one and traces of others as was usual for those with a single red mage parent. It was...odd, the elder mages had believed that knowledge to be lost, but Skyvra wouldn't put it past Garnet to rediscover that knowledge and use it to her own advantage.

To make matters worse, Kilijra was in the middle of whatever the hell was going on down there and she wasn't one-hundred percent certain that he wasn't involved (her brother couldn't hear her voice at the moment, which meant he was either drunk or unconscious). While the red mages didn't bear the mark of their family, or indeed any mark at all other than that of the gems they had been created from (she could easily sense that there was a mixture of Topaz, Peridot and Opal bearing mages), she couldn't quite rule out his involvement. After all, Kilijra had a fondness for alcohol and was easily led astray as indicated by their many childhood adventures, and he had the knowledge required to make a red mage from scratch, which didn't bode well for any of them, if he was involved.

As the others appeared over the edge of the hilltop, she whispered a small prayer to Bahamut, hoping against hope that her brother was just happened to be in the same town and was not involved with what was going on.

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Zidane noted that Skyvra looked unusually worried when she finally appeared in their line of sight. She was staring at Dali like it had slaughtered her family and once he glanced at the village, he still didn't understand why. The fact that there were no workers out tending the field was odd, but Kilijra's presence within the village was even odder. After years of exposure to Skyvra and her kin, Zidane had learned to sense those of her particular branch of red mages, specifically those who held a connection with Bahamut and Leviathan. He couldn't fathom why Skyvra would be unhappy to see her brother, as she always enjoyed leading him astray, so there must be something else within the village, something he couldn't sense.

He shivered as cold tendrils brushed against his mind, Shiva's cool voice echoing within his skull. _I sense the presence of my children. _She whispered to him, he felt the brush of her cold fingers against his hair.

"What do you mean?" He said out loud, not caring if anyone heard and thought he was crazy. He could always blame it on Skyvra driving him to the brink of insanity one too many times. He felt Shiva chuckle deep within him, her laughter sounding like the freezing wind that had ripped through the cavern back there.

_Those created from the gems, which a summoner uses to call me, much in the same way the Black Mages come from the Mist; my children come from the gems. It has been centuries since the last of my children came into being, though their descendents still dwell within this world. When they were called, they were ordered to do great evil by those who also commanded us. Many of my children died in their foolish war and I do not wish to experience that pain again. _Shiva's voice grew even icier at the thought of more of her children, her darling girls and boys, dying in a foolish war. Each death was like losing Squall all over again.

Suddenly there was a red-gloved hand waving itself in front of his face, startling him out of his mind. He glared at Skyvra, who was watching him with a knowing expression.

"Let's go... I have something I want to check out and you, sir, are coming with me." She said, and kicked him in the butt, hard, which made him roll down the hill and land on Kuja who had taken advantage of their distraction to lead the others down the hill and make their way towards the village. Skyvra let out a loud cackle as she raced down the hill, eager to investigate what was going on.

Even if there was a bunch of newly created Red Mages in the village, she could guarantee that they weren't stronger than her since they were created from the lesser eidolons and not the high-powered pair that had blessed her.

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TBC

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Is anyone still reading this or am I just writing for myself?


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around). I also don't own FF8, which is referred to in the tale of Shiva.

AN: I wish I could say I was led astray, but instead, I'll simply mention that I was the one who led other astray.

Concerning Dali: I've altered the town a bit from how it was in the game. The section you see ingame is actually the center of the village, with about 10-15 houses around.

Concerning the Red Mages: The village mentioned in the last chapter is built in the forest crater-like thing in the mountains somewhere between Lindblum, Alexandria and Burmecia, which is also close to Dali... See where I'm going with this?

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Flame me and die.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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Dali was far too quiet for Blank's liking. The streets were empty except for a group of sour looking children, a frown on each of their faces as they stared at Skyvra like she was some kind of freak. While Blank might have agreed with them, he couldn't think of anything that would make them stare that way. The Red Mage village was rumored to be somewhere in the mountains separating Lindblum and Alexandria –incidentally, this is the village Skyvra's mother was from, though Blank wouldn't know that-, and it wasn't exactly odd to see a Red Mage or two wandering about Treno or Dali as they made their way elsewhere.

Now that he thought about it, Skyvra was also acting odd, being oddly silent as she glowered at the ground as they made their way towards the inn. The air about her seemed heavy somehow, as though she was readying herself for something unpleasant. The more he considered it, the more likely it became that she had done something in the past to offend the people of this village.

"Alright, what did you do?" He demanded, scowling at her. The rest of the party stopped and stared at them. Skyvra blinked once, looking at him like he'd lost his mind. "You must've done something..." He continued, trying to justify his sudden outburst.

"I didn't do anything." Skyvra said, her usual smile sliding back into place, though the air about her remained. "Yet..." She hissed lightly, laughing at the shocked look on Blank's face.

"Why don't we find Kilijra before we stop at the Inn. " Zidane stated, it may have been phrased like a question, but it was really a demand to find whoever this Kilijra was and now. Skyvra stopped cackling, a serious look appearing on her face as she regarded her student.

"That would probably be wise." She nodded, fiddling with her item bag to make sure she had some spare tents inside. "We should find out what's going on in this town, then we should leave as soon as possible..." She continued, then paused, debating on how to get out of Alexandria. She had her gate pass with her, but Garnet had probably discovered that her darling cousin was missing already and would be checking the logs at the gates.

There was one other way, _they_ were not going to like it and she would most definitely get in trouble for it, but if Garnet had somehow rediscovered how to make Red Mages, then it was better if the elders were notified of the situation before it escalated into full out war.

"What do you mean, find out what's going on?" Kuja asked, frowning. Skyvra sighed, wondering how exactly to explain this to a non-Red Mage. Genomes especially had a hard time grasping this concept, which made her very glad there were so very few of them left.

"We're not quite sure yet, but something is extremely off with this village." The prince frowned as something occurred to him. "Isn't Dali supposed to be a farming town, where are all the fields?"

"And where are all the adults?" Vivi piped in, having noticed that all the people on the street, and in the houses were between the ages of two and fifteen. Skyvra's frown deepened, her mind reaching out to brush against her brother's, willing him to get off his lazy ass and answer her.

_Sky?_ Her brother's sleepy mind called back, his mental voice slurred. '_Zat you Sky?_

"Kilijra." She said aloud, looking purposely fully at Prince Zidane, whose eyes widened with understanding. Blank frowned, Kuja sensed there was something going on, Vivi was staring at the flowers, and Steiner didn't care. _Where the hell are you, you lazy bastard?_ She demanded.

There was an awkward pause, she could feel him starting to slowly come awake. _Sky._ He said after a few minutes. _I'm in a box._

"How the hell did you get in a box?" Skyvra shouted, not really shocked by this, but still surprised enough to forget to use her inside voice.

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TBC

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Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it.

So, the introduction of Kilijra. He starts out in a box, I'm sure you can figure out what's going on here.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around). I also don't own FF8, which is referred to in the tale of Shiva.

AN: Been a while, no? Enjoy your update, as I'm rewriting this whole darn/damn thing.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Don't care if you flame, would probably amuse the hell out of me.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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"How the hell did you get in a box?" Blank nearly jumped out of his skin as Skyvra suddenly shouted into the air. He glared at her, wondering if the sudden change from cold to hot had messed with her brain somehow. She ignored him, frowning at the air.

"You got kidnapped by what?" She demanded in a flat tone, crossing her arms and glaring. Blank could feel his eye twitching as he stared at the mage, who apparently was not paying attention to anything in the real world. Kuja was staring as well, confusion written on his face, while the Prince and Vivi waited patiently, seemingly used to this. Steiner had gone ahead in search of an inn, when Skyvra had first started talking to herself.

"Get yourself out of there, get your ass up here, and then we're going home...." She paused, glaring. "Why? Because Grandma needs to know that something's up...."

"Skyvra's talking to her brother." The Prince explained, sitting down on the grass. Blank glanced at him, then looked at Skyvra who was frowning and seemed to be growing more annoyed by the minute. Kuja blinked again, staring at the red mage.

"I'm tired, cold and cranky. Any rescue attempt I make now will probably end with me killing you out of sheer annoyance. Now tell me, is having help getting out of the box worth dying for, or can you be a big boy and set fire to it yourself?" Skyvra paused and smirked. "That's what I thought..."

"Tell me Skyvra, what color is the sky in your world?" The Prince asked, smiling slightly as he climbed to his feet, gracefully dusting himself off. She looked at him oddly, raising an eyebrow and looking up at the sky.

"Today it's a nice light grey-blue." she stopped, frowning as she noticed storm clouds hanging on the horizon. "Actually it looks like rain, so unless you want me to add wet to my list of complaints I suggest we find shelter.... Do you think anyone would notice if we took over one of their houses?"

Zidane sighed, shoulders slumping as Skyvra stared at the houses, seeming to consider it. Kuja eyed her warily, edging closer to the prince. "Are all red mages like this?" He asked quietly, trying to decide whether or not she was going to attack. Zidane nodded, glancing at the thief out of the corner of his eye. It was the first time he had ever been willingly close to the other without Skyvra being involved in some way.

Now that he had the time to study the other man, he could see why Skyvra was so adamant about their falling in love and living happily ever after, even going so far as to arrange 'accidental' molestation through magic. He was rather attractive, and was perhaps the most normal looking of the group, if one discounted his strange hair color. However, Zidane didn't think they would get along as well as Skyvra hoped. No matter how many pretty boys she pushed at him on whim, hoping he'd find 'true love' as she put it, they never really had any substance or character beyond what they appeared to be.

He sighed again, wishing that his teacher would speak to the men she tried to pair him with before declaring them his one true love. If only to spare himself the scene when she found out they were vain empty-headed little boys, and the headache when she tried to get him to 'date' one, whatever she meant by that. He was hoping that he could actually talk with Kuja, get to know him a little. He didn't seem like the usual sort Skyvra latched onto, insisting that he'd like them, however, they all had in the beginning. The occasion to speak with him alone had yet to come up, as Skyvra was always hanging around, but it would in the future, perhaps even tonight.

The clanking of Steiner's armor brought him out of his thoughts. The Knight of Pluto was smiling proudly, probably having found the inn like he had asked before Skyvra had started talking to Kilijra. He raised an eyebrow, noting the position of the other party members. Kuja had rejoined Blank and they were talking quietly among themselves as Vivi watched the children play/stare at Skyvra from down the lane. Speaking of Skyvra, she was glaring up at the sky, as if debating something.

"I've found the inn." Steiner announced as he clanked up, heading to stand at his Prince's side. It was his duty to protect the prince, especially if those dirty thieves and the insane red mage decided to gang up on him. Skyvra shook her head.

"Screw the inn. I know a safer place to rest. It's a little farther, but at least we won't have to worry about being attacked in our sleep." She volunteered, glaring dangerously at the ground.

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TBC

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Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own the plot, and the names and characterizations of Skyvra and Kilijra (the red mages who are always wandering around). I also don't own FF8, which is referred to in the tale of Shiva.

AN: Decided not to rewrite, too much work, and it could just as easily be converted into something original if I rewrote it.

Warnings: Shonen-ai, dark. Don't care if you flame, would probably amuse the hell out of me.

Pairings: Zidane/Kuja.

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"Are you sure?" Blank frowned, according to the map, Dali was the only safe place in this general area. However, if anyone would know of a safe place, it would be a red mage. Baku had often lamented not knowing the secret passageways the mages used to travel through the mist without using an airship. They appeared anywhere and everywhere, and never set so much as a toe on the commonly used form of travel.

"Positively absolutely. However," she paused, trying to think of a way to phrase it. "...you won't be able to enter or leave unless you have a red mage with you, the entrances are keyed to our energy to protect us from outsiders."

"You're letting us in your village?" The Prince asked, eyes widening slightly. Skyvra had mentioned once that outsiders, like them, were not allowed no matter how close they were to the mages themselves. She glanced at him and nodded.

"This is an emergency, and once Kilijra gets there, Grandma will understand. Come on, follow me." She started walking, hair swishing behind her. Prince Zidane and Vivi exchanged looks, and quickly set after her. As soon as the fact that his prince was leaving got into his brain, Steiner followed them

Skyvra lead them out of the village towards the mountains, casting a wary eye out for monsters. As tired as they were from the trek through the ice caves, even the weakest monster could finish them off if they were caught unaware. Thankfully, whatever god was looking after them kept the path to the entrance clear, there would not be any monsters on the path home. Taking a deep, calming breath, she stood in front of relief carved in the mountain's side.

Though she might not show it, she was kind of anxious about bringing strangers –outsiders- into her people's village. However, it was too late to turn back now, and she needed them –at least she needed Zidane and Vivi- to fully explain the situation to Grandma. There were some parts she was rather fuzzy on, especially on the 'Garnet's turned evil' bit. She was such a sweet girl when she had met her when she was a tyke; Skyvra had to wonder what had happened.

"Are you going to do something, or are you going to stare at the wall all day while we get eaten by monsters?" Blank demanded, scowling at the mage before glancing at the carvings in the mountain-face. He had seen them before, but had never thought much of them. Skyvra sighed, then raised her hand to touch the dragon in the carving's nose.

'_Lord Bahamut, King of Dragons, allow me entrance to your domain.' _She whispered, magic curling about her fingertips. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a dragon roar and then smiled as the carving came to life, wings spreading as it, and the stone it was carved on, disappeared, revealing the path to her village.

"Keep your head down and don't speak until Kilijra gets here." She urged quietly, ushering them through the gate before slamming it close behind them. Her brother could open it on his own.

They trudged towards the village, no less wary than they were before. Dimly, Skyvra hoped Kilijra caught up with them before the village guards intercepted them. She could only hope all went well.

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TBC

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Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it.


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